They will attend a series of events, with Charles co-hosting a Great Green Wall session alongside Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, his Mauritanian counterpart.

The Great Green Wall is an Africa-led initiative to combat desertification by creating a mosaic of green and productive landscapes across north Africa.

Prince Charles told delegates: “Having myself had the opportunity of consulting many of you over these past 18 months, I know you all carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and you do not need me to tell you that the eyes and hopes of the world are upon you to act with all despatch, and decisively – because time has quite literally run out.”

He urged delegates to work together, adding: “As we tackle this crisis, our efforts cannot be a series of independent initiatives running in parallel. The scale and scope of the threat we face call for a global, systems-level solution, based on radically transforming our current fossil fuel-based economy to one that is genuinely renewable and sustainable.

“So, ladies and gentlemen, my plea today is for countries to come together to create the environment that enables every sector of industry to take the action required.”

The prince said that putting a value on carbon was critical, adding: “After billions of years of evolution, nature is our best teacher.” He said private sector investment was key and that as such, each sector needed a “clear strategy” to speed up the process and generate action.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will join him to host a reception for key members of his Sustainable Markets Initiative and finalists from Prince William’s environmental Earthshot Prize Awards.

A video message from the Queen, recorded at Windsor Castle on Friday, will be played at this evening’s reception.